1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an animation generating apparatus, an animation generating method, and an animation generating program for generating a three-dimensional (3D) animation containing scenes tracking a moving object. More specifically, the present invention relates to an animation generating apparatus, an animation generating method, and an animation generating program for generating a 3D animation by a simple process when a route of a moving object is preset.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent advances in computer graphics (CG) technologies for 3D image representation using CG, CG technologies have been generally used in vehicle navigation systems, computer games, etc. For example, in a vehicle navigation system, the CG technologies allow a user to recognize the relationship between the current vehicle position and the position of a 3D structure, such as a nearby building or an interchange, in a three-dimensional manner.
Some of the recent vehicle navigation systems have a function for magnifying and displaying a map of an area around an intersection or environmental conditions of the area to inform a vehicle driver of the route ahead before the vehicle turns at the intersection. This intersection magnification function is enabled, for example, when the vehicle approaches within a predetermined distance of an intersection or when a searched route is simulated.
A typical intersection magnification function is used to simply magnify and display a two-dimensional map of an area around an intersection and a route. A recent intersection magnification function allows dynamic views of a road and nearby buildings using a 3D CG animation when the vehicle is passing an intersection and after the vehicle has passed the intersection. Such an animation may be viewed as a sub-image (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-337032, paragraphs [0007] to [0008] and FIG. 1).
The 3D CG animation-based intersection magnification function may require a large amount of data and high processing performance. In a vehicle navigation system of the related art, therefore, the intersection magnification function is enabled only for a predetermined important intersection. In order to display an animation, animation parameters of major intersections are generated in advance separately from a route, and images are rendered based on the animation parameters. Alternatively, a plurality of still images of intersections are created in advance, and these still images are reproduced.